WSOP 2025

2025 WSOP: Christopher Staats Wins $1,500 6-Handed No Limit Hold’em

by Jonathan Raab June 5, 2025
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2025 WSOP: Christopher Staats Wins
Christopher Staats, winner of Event #13, $1,500 No Limit Hold’em, pic courtesy of WSOP

The last eleven remaining players in Event #13, the $1,500 NLH Handed returned on Wednesday for the third and final day. Their number included David Jackson, shooting for his third career WSOP bracelet and Christopher Staats, whose sole bracelet to date was won online in 2022. 

The rest were shooting for their first wins at the series and it was likely that the winner would be a new recipient of the most coveted wrist-wear in poker. But in the end it was the two previous winners who faced off for the title. 

Jackson, in control of over 75% of the chips in play had dominated the latter stages of the final, taking over from early pace maker Damaraj Davenport, who departed in fourth. But Staats patiently bided his time, notching up the aggression only when he got heads up. 

After a long tournament, but a short final stint of play, it was All Er Nothin’ for Jackson and his Oklahoman adversary emerged as the victor, banking $414,950, the biggest cash of his life. He accepted his first live bracelet with class, praising the skill of his vanquished opponent.

Apart from his online bracelet win, which was secured in the $3,200 6-Max on WSOP online for $111,609, Staats has had a few other six-figure scores. Prior to this victory, his previous best was $254,580 for 3rd place in the 2018 $1,000 Little One for One Drop. He also narrowly missed out on winning a WSOPC ring, finishing in second place for $174,980 at Choctaw in 2023.

2025 WSOP Event #13: $1,500 No Limit Hold’em 6-Handed Final Table Result

PlacePlayerCountryPrize
1stUnited States of America Christopher StaatsUSA$414,950
2ndUnited States of America David JacksonUSA$276,562
3rdChina Shundan XiaoChina$197,869
4thUnited States of America Damarjai DavenportUSA$143,206
5thUnited States of America Eshaan BhallaUSA$104,858
6thSweden Oscar JohanssonSweden$77,688
7thUnited States of America Aaron OvertonUSA$58,249

2025 WSOP Event #13: $1,500 No Limit Hold’em 6-Handed Final Day Recap

Play began at 1pm local time and in the opening exchanges, the chip rich got richer, while the chip poor veered in the opposite direction. Damaraj Davenport, Sunshay Xiao and Eshaan Bhalla, who had topped the overnight chip charts all increased their stacks during the opening level of the day.

James Leonard was the first faller on Day 3, after he shoved with A♥10♦ from the small blind, only to be coolered when Davenport, in the big blind, made an easy call with A♦K♠. The board was no help for Leonard and he exited in 11th with $33,957 to add to his next IRS return.

French on French
As Yo ousted Yo
But he was next to go
Both Yos departed
In sequenced flow
The first French Yo
Whose chips became eau…

(breaks out of poetic license and returns to irregular tangential prose)

…was Yohan Rascar. The engine in his car stopped running with just a few laps of the Yo’val left to negotiate. When Yoann Rubele’s A♦Q♣ connected with the board, Rascar’s A♣K♦ was rudely overtaken. He left the scene of the crash as a victim of the deck, succumbing to variance, but with a tenth-place finish to his name and $33,957 in cash.

Soon after the first Yo had fallen, it was oh no for the next Yo. His final 1.5m chips went in with K♠Q♠ only to lose to Davenport’s A♣7♦. Both hands failed to connect with the board in any meaningful way and the show, for Yo, was over. Yoann Rubelle exited in the ninth, collecting $44,203 for his part in the proceedings.

Genov, was Davenport’s next victim, in another small blind v big blind shove-call situation. The last remaining Bulgarian left in the field held A♣10♠, but the flop of 5♥J♠6♣ had hit with the chip leader’s K♥6♦. The 2♣ turn and 3♦ river provided no help for Dani Genov, who departed in the eighth for $44,203.

With the field reduced to seven, the final table was set. At this point, Davenport held a commanding lead over the rest of the field.

Chip Counts Going Into the Final

SeatPlayerChip CountBig Blinds
1Damarjai Davenport22m138
2Eshaan Bhalla7.2m45
3David Jackson9.8m61
4Shundan Xiao5.7m36
5Oscar Johansson4.8m30
6Aaron Overton2.4m15
7Christopher Staats4.9m31

Coverage on PokerGo (and free-to-view on their YouTube channel) started at 5pm local time, but on a 2-hour delay. Reporting was embargoed until the TV coverage began. It was therefore quite some time before news of another player losing their tournament life would emerge.

But that news did inevitably filter through, with the blinds at 80k/160k, when short-stacked Aaron Overton shoved with two red eights from the hi-jack. His 2m all-in bet was called by Eagan’s Bhalla’s A♥J♦ in the small blind and a flop of Q♦A♣10♦ was enough to end his participation in seventh, for $58,249.

With the pack reduced to six, Davenport began applying even more pressure and soon his stack had grown to over 28m, almost 20m ahead of his nearest challenger. After losing a couple of sizeable pots, including doubling up David Jackson, Davenport was pegged back to 20m, but still held the chip lead. 

His dominance continued for a while longer and he rebuilt to 24m after dispatching Oscar Johansson in sixth ($77,688), when the Swede’s pocket sevens failed to improve against kings. 

But having led the charge for most of the day, Davenport then faced a significant setback. He attempted to bluff David Jackson on the river, by setting him all-in for his remaining 8.6m, on a board of 9♥4♥5♠5♦6♥.

Davenport’s 7♥6♣ had missed his straight draw, but Jackson, who was already ahead, holding Q♥5♥, had improved to a flush and snapped him off. This hand affected a chip reversal, with Jackson now assuming the lead on 27m, while Davenport slipped back to 13m.

Soon afterwards Jackson took another big chunk out of Davenport’s stack and the long-time chip leader slipped back to just over 3m. Now with over 37m and an enormous chip lead, Jackson, looked hungry for his third piece of WSOP wrist-wear. 

2025 WSOP: Christopher Staats Wins
David Jackson, photo courtesy of PokerGo

After a period of short-stack double ups, Jackson strengthened his claim further, moving up to 43m when he busted Eshaan Bhalla in fifth place ($104,858). It was a brutal exit for Bhalla, as he was well ahead with A♦K♠ versus Jackson’s K♥Q♥ until the river, when the Q♦ brought his tournament to an abrupt end.

Davenport’s bold effort was also ended by Jackson, and he departed in fourth place for $143,206 after attempting one last river bluff. He checked his 10♥7♦ on a 6♥J♣8♠ flop, bet 625,000 and was called on a 5♦ turn and shoved his remaining 1.65m when the 5♣ fell on the river. Jackson made the call with Q♠6♣ and it was bedtime for Damarjai.

2025 WSOP: Christopher Staats Wins
Damarjai Davenport, pic courtesy of PokerGo

Shundan Xiao had been short stacked for most of the final table, surviving a series of all-ins, then moved into clear second place, taking a chunk out of the chip leader. But it was not to be for the last remaining woman in the field and having slipped back to third place, she once again found herself all-in against Jackson. However, her A♣8♦ was felled by J♥9♥ when yet another river card, the J♠ determined the outcome. Xiao departed in third place for $197,869.

2025 WSOP: Christopher Staats Wins
Shundan Xiao, pic courtesy of PokerGo

Heads Up for the Bracelet

  • David Jackson – 45.5m
  • Christopher Staats – 13.2m

Holding an impressive chip lead, Jackson was now a big favourite to become a three-time WSOP champion. But Christopher Staats, who had been doing more observing and analysing than playing until now, had other ideas. Refusing to be rolled over, he turned up the aggression factor and it paid off when he made a straight holding Q♦J♥ on a flop of 9♣8♥10♥. He bet big and was called on a 7♣ river, which gave Jackson the idiot end of the straight, holding 6♣5♠.

This pot narrowed the chip lead but Jackson then had a shot at the title, calling Staats all-in holding K♠Q♣. Staats had pocket tens, but Jackson’s out-shot missed the target. After winning the hand, Staats assumed command of the tournament, taking a 38m to 21m chip lead into the closing stages of the heads-up encounter.

A short while later, the bracelet-deciding hand played out. With the blinds at 250k/500k, Staats called Jackson’s preflop min-raise and they saw a flop of J♠7♥7♣. Jackson bet out 600k and called a raise to 1.9m from his opponent, who bet a further 3.6m on a 10♠ turn. Staats immediately announced “all-in” when the 5♦ hit the river and after a period of deep thought, Jackson called.

Jackson tabled J♣6♣ for top pair, but Staats had flopped trips, holding 9♦7♠ and his aggression paid off. David Jackson will have to regroup and try again if he is to become a three-time bracelet winner, but retrospectively will be happy with a payday of $276,562 for his second-place finish.

And with that Christopher Staats took down his first live WSOP bracelet, banked $414,950 in prize money and became champion of Event #15, the $1,500 6-Handed NLH.

* Hands and photos courtesy of PokerNews and WSOP

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